There is a quiet war happening in the fitness industry that very few people are aware of. Consumers are migrating away from larger, traditional health clubs and gyms that offer an “everything under one roof” experience in exchange for smaller specialty boutiques such as SoulCycle, CrossFit, and others. This trend appears to be driven by the accessibility of fitness offerings, along with consumers’ (especially millennials) desire to find a workout that meets their needs as both a physically challenging and socially satisfying experience.

We’ve all seen the “Your Speed” radar signs that tend to pop up on busier roads near schools or residential neighborhoods. The blinking warning of your speed causes you to take notice of your speed and slow down if necessary. These signs were first implemented as an experiment, but the stats have since shown that they are quite effective in reducing speeds overall—cutting down on accidents and making neighborhoods safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike. The important takeaway from this example is that when we are presented with information about our performance, we tend to notice and improve. Even though we already have speedometers on our cars, calling out our speed and presenting it to us in this manner makes us take notice and change our behavior accordingly. Seeing the immediate feedback of our speed dropping is a reward itself.